PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICER ACT 2017

Table of Provisions

PART 1--PRELIMINARY

• 1 Purposes  
• 2 Commencement  
• 3 Definitions  
• 4 How does the Parliamentary Budget Officer publicly release documents and information?  
• 5 Objectives of Act  

PART 2--PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICER

Division 1--Appointment and functions

• 6 Appointment of Parliamentary Budget Officer  
• 7 Functions of Parliamentary Budget Officer  
• 8 Independence of Parliamentary Budget Officer  
• 9 Term of office  
• 10 Remuneration, allowances and outside employment  
• 11 Vacancy and resignation  
• 12 Suspension and removal from office  
• 13 Acting Parliamentary Budget Officer  
• 14 Conflicts of interest  
• 15 Right of return—Public Administration Act 2004  
• 16 Right of return—Parliamentary Administration Act 2005  

Division 2--Staffing and administration

• 17 Staff  
• 18 Consultants  
• 19 Confidentiality requirements for PBO officers—general  
• 20 Confidentiality requirements for PBO officers—courts, tribunals and other authorities  
• 21 Protection of PBO officers from liability  

Division 3--Operations

• 22 Operational plan  
• 23 Transmission of operational plan to Parliament  
• 24 PBO protocols  
• 25 Arrangements for obtaining information or documents from public sector bodies  
• 26 Request for information or documents from public sector bodies  

Division 4--Reporting requirements

• 27 Report of PBO operations during election costing periods  
• 28 Annual reports  

Division 5--Transfer of records

• 29 Definitions  
• 30 Parliamentary Budget Officer may transfer records to Public Record Office  
• 31 Application of Public Records Act 1973 in relation to arrangements and requests for information or documents  
• 32 Transferred records not available for public inspection for 30 years  
• 33 Inspection of transferred records by Parliamentary Budget Officer  
• 34 Inspection of transferred costing records by members of Parliament  
• 35 Inspection of transferred advisory records by members of Parliament  

PART 3--POLICY COSTINGS AND OTHER FUNCTIONSOF THE PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICER

Division 1--Election policy costings, pre-election and post-election reports

• 36 Parliamentary leader may request an election policy costing  
• 37 Parliamentary Budget Officer to prepare election policy costings  
• 38 Public release of election policy costing or statement of insufficiency  
• 39 Pre-election reports on costed policies  
• 40 Public release of pre-election report or statement of insufficiency  
• 41 Post-election reports  
• 42 Nominee may act for parliamentary leader  
• 43 Functions under this Division to be prioritised above other functions  

Division 2--Other policy costings

• 44 Requests by members of Parliament for policy costings  
• 45 Parliamentary Budget Officer to prepare policy costings  
• 46 Public release of policy costing, revised costing or statement of insufficiency  

Division 3--Advisory functions of Parliamentary Budget Officer

• 47 Advisory services to members of Parliament  
• 48 Public release of specified information  

Division 4--Correction of errors and misrepresentations

• 49 Correction of material errors in policy costing or pre-election report  
• 50 Correction of material errors in post-election report  
• 51 Correction of material errors in specified information  
• 52 Correction of misrepresentations  

PART 4--GENERAL

• 53 Parliamentary Budget Officer not to question the merits of policies  
• 54 Functions of the Parliamentary Committee  
• 55 Confidentiality requirements for preliminary documents  
• 56 Exemption from Freedom of Information Act 1982  
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